cast no shadow. (the lost boys).

Chapter Nineteen: The Last Stand

The night was still, but the air was thick with the tension of the unspoken. Laddie, exhausted and shaken, clung to my side, his small hands gripping my shirt as if letting go would pull him back into the nightmare we had just escaped. The cave offered us temporary refuge, but the looming threat of the Frog Brothers and their allies made it feel more like a cage. I exchanged a glance with David, who was pacing, his mind clearly working through the next steps.

"We can't stay here for long," David finally said, breaking the silence. "They'll come looking for him—and for us. The Emersons won't let this slide."

"But where do we go?" Dwayne asked, leaning against the rough stone wall. "If we leave here, they'll be waiting for us. We're safe in the shadows, but they know that too. We're running out of places to hide."

I nodded, knowing he was right. This cave had been our sanctuary, a place where we could regroup and plan, but the safety it offered was slipping away. If we didn't move soon, we would be cornered, and our enemies would show no mercy, especially with Laddie involved.

David looked down at the map he had been clutching since before the rescue, his brow furrowed in concentration. "We can't keep playing defense. We need to take the fight to them."

Paul, who had been silent until now, stepped forward. "You're talking about going after them, aren't you? Bringing the fight to the Emersons and the Frog Brothers before they can regroup?"

"Exactly," David replied, his voice hardening. "They're expecting us to run, to hide. But what if we turn the tables on them?"

Marko's eyes gleamed with a dangerous excitement. "If we can catch them off guard, we might be able to end this once and for all. But it's risky."

I glanced down at Laddie, who was finally beginning to calm down, his breathing steadying as he drifted into an uneasy sleep. I knew we couldn't keep running, not with Laddie's safety at stake. The Emersons and the Frog Brothers had made this personal, and we couldn't afford to wait for them to strike again.

"We do this smart," I said, my voice low but firm. "We'll need to split up. Some of us will create a diversion, draw them out of their stronghold, while the rest of us find a way inside. We catch them when they're at their most vulnerable."

David nodded approvingly. "Agreed. We'll need to move fast, though. Time's not on our side."

The plan began to take shape as we discussed it in hushed tones. Dwayne and Marko would handle the diversion, using their knowledge of the town to lead the Frog Brothers and the others on a wild chase. Meanwhile, David, Paul, and I would infiltrate the Emerson household, where we believed the remaining threats would be lying in wait.

As the plan solidified, I couldn't shake the gnawing feeling of unease. This wasn't just about survival anymore; it was about ending the war that had torn our lives apart. We were venturing into dangerous territory, but there was no other way forward.

As we prepared to leave the cave, I crouched down beside Laddie, gently brushing the hair from his face. "You're going to stay here with Dwayne and Marko," I whispered, even though it pained me to leave him behind. "They'll keep you safe, okay?"

Laddie's eyes flickered open, his expression a mixture of fear and determination. "Will you come back?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

I forced a smile, though my heart ached with the weight of what lay ahead. "I'll always come back for you, Laddie. Always."

With that promise hanging in the air, we gathered what little we had and slipped into the night once more. The stakes had never been higher, and the dangers never more real. But as we moved through the shadows, our resolve hardened.